It's important for me to think I'm mixed-race.

As a young child, I was never a crier. I never cried to get my way, or even when I was in pain.

You need to become more than one type of athlete. You have to be a sprinter, a weight man and a distance guy all in one.

As a young athlete, it was first about having fun; then it was about winning.

It really means a lot that I won the gold medal - but I woke up the next morning expecting to feel different. I felt the same.

I got interested in decathlon because a coach that I had was a big fan of Bruce Jenner, and he just saw the ability in me - but when it came down to it, I knew my best chance at a college scholarship would be in track and field.

I was playing little league baseball when Bruce Jenner was winning the gold but I don't think I was really paying attention at that time.